Steering-gear.



WTWESSES PATENTED MAR. 5, 1907. F. Y. HARRISON.

STEERING GEAR.

APPLICATION FILED JAN.11, 1906.

FRANK Y. HARRISON, OF DETROIT, MICHIGAN.

STEERING-GEAR.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Maren 5,V 1907.

Appiicano med January 11, 1906. serie No. 295.519.

To all, whom, it '/lml/ colma/"7L:

Be it known that I, FRANK Y. HARRISON, a i tinuation of the branch citizen of' the I.7 ni ted States, residing at Dctroit, county of Vayne, State o'f Michigan, have invented a certain new and usei'ul Improvement in Steering-Gear; and I declare the following to he a lull, clear, and exact description of the same, such as will enable others skilled in t-hc art to which it pertains to make and use the same, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, which form a part of this specification.

This invention relates to steering-gear for vessels.

It has for its object an improved steeringgear actuated by a fluid under pressure, pref'- erably compressed air. Connected Withfthe steering-gear is an indicator to show the position of the rudder, and there are several controlling-valves by means of which the actuating mechanism o'f the. gear may be controlled 'l'roin'one of several locations.

The drawing is diagrammatic, without any attempt at it being pictorial, and outlines a plan View of the apparatus and its connecting-pipes.

1. indicates the rudder-post; 2, the tiller; 3, a cylinder containing apiston 4, and 6 a cylinder containing a piston 7. The two pistons 4 and 7 are connected by a vsingle rod 8, and these two pistons and the cylinders in Which they are contained differ in cross-sectional area, the area of the cylinder 6 considerably exceeding that of t-he cylinder 3. For most efficient Work the cross-sectional area of the cylinder 6 should be twice. that of the cylinder 3.

Fluid under pressure'is stored in the tank 5 and acts With a constant pressure against the piston 4 in the cylinder 3. The cylinder 6 communicates with the air-tank 5 through a system of pipes in which there are 011e or several, preferably several, controllingvalves, and these valves are so arranged that each may independently control the Vflow of air through the conduit-pipes, and they are also arranged that certain oi themmay continue useful and be employed to control the flow of air although others may have been destroyed or disarranged. In order that pipe 9, past a branch pipe 33, which is a con- 18, through tvhich the fluid first emerges fromthe tank 5, is carried past a branch i pipe 13 along a continuation-pipe 9-to a three-way controlling-valve 10, thence back along pipe 15, which is, in effect, parallel to pipe 13 spoken oi above, and thence through a continuationpipe 11 to the cylinder 6. At the junction of the branch pipes 1.3 and 33 is a controllingvalve 14, and in the pipe spoken of as a continuation-pipe 9 is a manually-actuated valve S4, and in the continuation-pipe 15 is a second manuallyactuated valve 35. Other branch pipes similar in all respects to the branch pipes 13 and 33 may be placed in the syste-1n at any place along its course, and there may be any number of these'. With each branch pipe there must be a pair of manually-actuating valves corresponding to he valves 34 and 35. Y

Thel controlling-valve 10, which is at the turning-point of the main pipe, is preferably located in the Wheel-house or conning-tower and may be in some position that. is dangerous and where the valve itself is liable to be destroyed or injured. In such cases it is only necessary to close the valves 34 and 35, when the controlling-valve 14 is now located at the end oi' the loop and may be used to control the gear. l/Vhen the valves 34 and 35 and all the valves corresponding to them are open, all the controlling valves are equally adapted to be used, and any one may be employed at any .time to control the gear.

l/Vith each controlling-valve there is an eX- haust-pipe-as, for example, the exhaustpipe 12, connected with the controlling-valve 10, and the exhaust-pipe 16, connected with the controlling-valve 14-and passage into the exhaust-pipe is opened in the three-Way valve when the passage through the pipes to the cylinder is closed. Sometimes instead of locating the valves with reference to danger-peints they may be locatedv with reference to accessibility Jfor use on special occasions-as, for example, the valve 10 may be in the Wheel-house, the valve 14 at the end of' the bridge, Where it will be especially useful w ien the vessel is approaching or leaving a Wharf.

When either valve is turned to exhaust the cylinder 6, the pressure from the tank 5,

-which is always pressing into the cylinder 3, moves the pistons and turns the tiller. Upon this result may be accomplished, the pipe closing the exhaust and turning the three- Way valve to open the conduit for fluid into the cylinder 6 the larger piston 7 is actuated against the smaller piston 4 and turns the tiller in the reverse direction. There is no exhaust or loss of iuid from the cylinder 3 IIO and only such loss of fluid from the cylinder 6 las is sufficient to allow the requisite movement of the piston in one direction. rIhe tiller is directly actuated by pitman 17, which is pivoted to the piston-rod 8.

An indicator is used in connection with the.

are connected by suitable piping to a pair of gage-glasses 28 and 29. The entire system of piping is filled with liquid, whose relative height in the gage-glasses 28 and 29 may be adjusted by means of cross-pipe 30 and valve 31. There is air communication between the two gage-glasses through a small passage 32, and provision is made for filling the indicatorpipes through a plug closed opening 33. After adjustment the valve 31 is closed, and thereafter upon the oscillation of the rudderpost the pistons 24 and 25 are correspondingly reciprocated, and the amount of the reciprocation is indicated by the variation in height of the Huid in the two sight-gages 28 and 29.

For convenience a pressuregage 36 is placed on the system of piping through which the pressure fluid is conducted in order that the pressure of Huid in the tank 5 may be at all times indicated.

What I claim is- 1. In combination with a rudder-post and tiller therefor, a pair of cylinders of different cross area acting in opposition the one to the other, the smaller of said cylinders being in constant connection With a source of fluidpressure, and the larger of said cylinders being in controlled communication with the same source of fluid-pressure,substantially as described.

2. In combination with a rudder-post and tiller therefor, a pair of cylinders in opposed relation, one of said cylinders being connected to the 'tiller-post by a link, a source of fluidpressure in constant communication with one of said cylinders, a valved communication between the same source of fluid-pressure and the other of said cylinders, and an indicator actuated by the rudder-post, substantially as I l described.

3. In combination with a rudder-post provided with a tiller, a pair of cylinders one on each side of said post in axial alinement the one with the other, means connecting said tiller and thepiston of one of the cylinders', a rigid connecting-bar from the piston of one cylinder to that of the other, a supply-tank frcm'which actuating fluid is continuously fed to one of said cylinders, a system of .pipes leading from said tank to the other of said cylinders, and means located at a plurality of points along said ,pipes by the use of any one of which the flow of actuating fluid therethrough may be controlled, substantially as described.

In testimony whereof I sign this specification in the presence of two witnesses. FRANK Y. HARRISON.

Witnesses:

CHARLES F. BURTON, LOTTA LEE HAYToN. 

